Rarely do I watch hours and hours of a sporting event of a sport that I rarely watch. (My grammar checker just blew a gasket over that sentence).

Rory McIlroy is now a part of my sports vocabulary. Frankly, so is Harry Diamond. And maybe that’s the point.

Church people know this. There are two times in the year where churches can expect a lot of visitors. In fact my church this Easter had four services in the morning, twice as many as a typical weekend. That’s because Christmas and Easter are more familiar holidays to the masses, often based upon family traditions and activities.

The programming lesson we can learn is nothing short of transformational; familiarity is preference.

“The most listened to Christian radio station in America.”

My first day in the station I suggested that they eliminate that positioning line. In our format, EGO is counterproductive. Humility is a virtue. Serving others is a primary value.

Inside thinking is the default of every station, because we’re all inside!

A television station in my town has marketing campaign based on their 25 years on the air. It includes various notables of their network congratulating them and lauding that they are “the best station in town!” One network celebrity (whose initials are Jimmy Fallon) says, “it’s the best station in town, and the best station in any town.” I’M NOT MAKING THIS UP, as Dave Barry would say.

It seemed an innocent enough question. My new friend Randy had just become the program director of an already successful Christian music station that I reckon you’ve heard of.

One day over fajitas and guacamole he turns to me and asks, “What is most important for me to know about having success in this format?” Two days and numerous servings of chips and salsa later we were still quacking.

Our format is foundationally based on values. It attracts people that share those values, both listeners and staff. In visiting a station I often observe how we come from different places and backgrounds but we’re all in the same room at the same time because of shared values.

The great irony then is that too few stations communicate shared values and vision with their listeners. Stations are more likely to message the attributes of the music itself (positive, encouraging, uplifting) which are generic to any station playing the music than message something unique and preferable to their own brand, a more important factor in markets with multiple CCM stations.

It’s the difference between being a commodity and being a brand.